


you are in love

by darlinminds



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27844075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlinminds/pseuds/darlinminds
Summary: Malide Christmas Fluff I wrote for my friend on Tumblr.
Relationships: Manon Blackbeak/Elide Lochan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	you are in love

Manon loves many things about Elide. She could go on for hours about the way her eyes light up whenever she’s happy, how she hums all her favourite songs slightly off key, her habit of mimicking facial expressions of characters in her books she’s always reading.

Since they finally moved in together, Manon finds a new reason to love Elide every day. Yesterday, it was the fact she couldn’t quite reach the cupboards, and had to stand on a chair to put a glass back. Elide didn’t find it quite as endearing as Manon. 

This morning, Manon’s biggest love for Elide is that she’s a personal hot water bottle. As usual, they’re tucked under their duvet, Elide’s back pressing into Manon’s chest, their legs intertwined. Her girlfriend is warming her chest, comfortable and safe. Manon could quite happily lie here forever. It’s unusual for her to be awake before Elide, so she savours these peaceful moments. 

The warm, wintery light is slowly appearing outside, washing the room in golden tones. Streams of it bounce on Elide’s face and hair, illuminating her freckles. Manon runs her hands through Elide’s hair, who immediately snuggles further into the bed, cocooned in all the blankets. Manon practically melts. 

She smiles down at the smaller woman, right as her stomach rumbles. It’s not surprising really, the clock on the wall reads 11am. 

Carefully, and oh so slowly, Manon slides her body away from Elide, which almost upsets her, but she remembers her plan, and stops herself from immediately clambering back into bed and staying there for the rest of the day. 

Elide wriggles slightly at the loss of Manon, who quickly covers her with yet another blanket. This seems to relax her again, and slipping on her slippers, Manon makes her way into the kitchen. 

xx

  
  


When Elide wakes, the first thing she notices is the distinct lack of her girlfriend. She rolls over, just to double check. 

No Manon. 

She’s almost concerned, and then she smells it. The distinct smell of bacon wafting in from the kitchen. So  _ that’s _ where Manon is. 

Tugging on a hoodie, that’s definitely not Manon's,  _ of course not _ , it’s only two sizes too big for her, Elide tiptoes into the kitchen. 

Unsurprisingly, she can hear the sounds of  _ Christmas Time _ by  _ The Darkness  _ playing, which has been Manon’s favourite Christmas song from day one. Manon’s facing the oven, frying bacon, so doesn’t notice Elide, who stands in the doorway examining the scene before her. 

Her girlfriend has pulled her hair up into a ponytail, tied a polkadot apron over her t-shirt, singing her heart out to Christmas songs. Truthfully, their apartment looks a bit like a christmas explosion, but Elide wanted to go all out for their first christmas together, and Manon was practically incapable of saying no. 

Elide chuckles slightly as Manon starts swaying her hips, attracting the attention of her girlfriend, who whirls around to face her. 

Immediately, her face splits into a hug grin, warming Elide right down to her toes.

“ _ Ma chérie! _ ” Elide adores it when Manon calls her nicknames in her first language.

She walks over to her, hugging her from behind as she fries the bacon. If Elide stands on her tiptoes, she can just get her head on Manon’s shoulder. 

“Hey,” she says softly, “this looks nice.”

Manon hums gently, “I was planning to give you breakfast in bed. But as usual you’re ruining my plans.”

Elide laughs and presses a kiss to her cheek, “sorry, love.”

She grabs two glasses, using the chair to stand on, and head towards the fridge. Two pieces of paper are stuck to it. One reads, in elegant, elongated swirl:  _ Manon’s Xmas List _ . There are about seventy four things on the list, two of which are chocolate, one is champagne and another is fluffy socks. A majority of it is jewellery. Elide didn’t really need her to make a list, she’s known exactly what to get Manon practically all year. 

Next to it is a dramatically shorter list, titled  _ Elide’s Christmas List _ . It’s covered in stickers, and the first point is underlined several times. In all capital letters, Elide has written  _ ‘cat’ _ . Underneath this, Manon has written ‘no’, with a love heart next to it. Presumably extenuating the sarcastic tone.    
  
With two days until Christmas, Elide is feeling it’s unlikely she’ll be able to persuade Manon differently on the cat. 

_ Oh well _ , she thinks,  _ there’s always next year. And my birthday. _

She grabs the juice from the fridge and takes a seat next to her girlfriend at the dining table, who gently gives her a kiss. Elide smiles, intertwining their hands, and thanking her girlfriend for their bacon sandwiches. 

xx

Manon quickly learns that Christmas Day Elide is like a small child. She’s done nothing all morning but bounce off the walls. They unwrapped their stockings in bed together that morning, Elide making Manon guess what was in each one. Had it been anyone else, she would’ve refused point blank. But Elide just had a way. 

Currently, Manon was in the lounge room, feeling slightly like Christmas had vomited on her. Elide had brought them both matching Christmas jumpers and fluffy socks, which was extremely adorable, but Manon would not be seen out in public in such a thing. She’d already allowed her girlfriend to post an Instagram picture of them both in their matching attire. 

Asterin had texted her about how whipped she was. Manon had never adored the middle finger emoji more. 

“What do you think, love?” Elide asks, catching Manon out. 

She wasn’t really listening to Elide, but watching her. Her absolute state of christmas induced euphoria was contagious, and Manon found herself completely entranced by her throughout the day.

Noticing her girlfriend's obvious distraction, Elide’s cheeks warm slightly.

“Aelin was asking if we wanted to stay at her and Rowan’s tonight, after Christmas dinner.”

“Oh, yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Manon smiles. 

From where she’s sitting on the couch, she reaches up a hand, pulling Elide down onto her lap. She pushes a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

“You look gorgeous today.”

Elide’s smile could genuinely thaw an ice age, Manon thinks. 

The brunette runs her hands into Manon’s hair, pressing a deep kiss to her lips. She tastes slightly like the champagne they decided to start drinking at breakfast, because any rules go on Christmas. 

Manon adores kissing Elide. She’d always heard about the ‘fireworks’, from TV shows and movies. The first time she kissed Elide, she felt the fireworks. And then so much more. So much more than she ever could have possibly fathom to imagine. 

Elide feels to Manon exactly how she imagines complete safety to feel. Unconditional love. Protection. The familiarity of it still overwhelms her. Like absolutely every star in her life has aligned so that she can be here, right now, in her matching christmas outfits, kissing Elide. 

Slowly, tenderly, she pulls out of the kiss. Elide looks slightly confused. 

“I have something for you,  _ mon amour _ ,” she explains. 

Her girlfriend glances under the tree.

“There’s no presents left,” Elide states. 

Manon places her on the sofa next to her, before opening the door to their apartment.

“I have to go get it,” she reassures her, “it’s with the neighbour. Stay here for a sec, love, i’ll be right back.”

It only takes Manon 30 seconds to flit next door, profusely thank their neighbour, and pick up what she visited for. As she arrives back home, she shoves the door open with her shoulder, but stands behind it, concealed from view.

“Close your eyes, El,” she pauses for a few seconds, “are they closed?”

There’s a minute of silence.

“El?” Manon says.

Elide bursts out laughing. 

“Sorry! Sorry! I was nodding my head, but you’re outside… anyway,” she takes a second to compose herself, “they’re closed.”

Manon cautiously makes her way to her girlfriend, who’s sitting with her arms outstretched on her lap. She places the gift in her hands. Elide’s eyes immediately shoot open. 

“Sorry I obviously couldn’t wrap it -”

“You didn’t,” Elide’s dark eyes fill with tears, glancing from her girlfriend, who’s beaming, to the tiny kitten sitting in her lap.

“Oh,” she breathes, “oh, Manon, she is so gentle, so  _ tiny _ !”

Manon doesn't have any words for the adorable scene before her, so settles for nodding instead. 

“Hey, little one, hey, hey,” Elide whispers to the kitten, who meows up at her, sending the brunette into a fresh stream of tears.

Manon hasn’t even realised she’s crying too until Elide leans over and wipes a tear from her cheek.

“Does she have a name?” Elide pauses, “She is a she right?  _ Are you a she?  _ I’m sorry if you’re not a she.”

“She’s a girl, I’m pretty sure. That's what the shelter said.” Manon assures her, “and she’s yours to name.”

“Oooh,” Elide coos at the kitten who’s extremely interested in her christmas jumper, “thank you, my love. She is the sweetest.”

Elide takes Manon’s hand. Manon strokes the kitten's head. She seems so impossibly tiny. 

“I think we’ll get on well, little one,” Manon assures the kitten.

She looks up to see Elide’s tearful eyes looking at her.

“I love you so much I think I might explode,” her girlfriend looks like she might burst into tears all over again. 

Elide places the kitten in Manon’s lap, “I have something for you too.”

xx

They never make it to Aelin and Rowan’s. Luckily their friends are extremely understanding. They can go tomorrow, instead.

Their evening ends in bed, Elide’s head on Manon’s chest, little, tiny Lou the kitten nestled in between the two of them.

Manon looks down at her small family, Elide completely passed out from the excitement of the day, then at the stunning new crystal ring on her left hand and wonders just when she got to be so lucky. 

  
  



End file.
